Visual Hot Watch Spots in Content Item Playback

• US 20150095937A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tobin, Perry
• Granted Patent: US 9,979,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A method for providing visual hot watch spots in content item playback on a content sharing platform is disclosed. The method includes separating, by a processing device of a content sharing platform, a duration of a content item into time interval segments. The method further includes, for each of the time interval segments, determining a score for the time interval segment in view of one or more signals indicating a popularity of the time interval segment to users viewing the content item on the content sharing platform, and providing a visual indication of the score for the time interval segment of the content item in a user interface presenting the content item.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

separating, by a processing device of a content sharing platform, a duration of a content item into time interval segments; and

for each of the time interval segments;

determining a score for the time interval segment in view of one or more signals indicating a popularity of the time interval segment to users viewing the content item on the content sharing platform; and

providing a visual indication of the score for the time interval segment of the content item in a user interface presenting the content item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indication is provided on a portion of a scrub bar of a media player, the portion corresponding to the time interval segment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each time interval segment comprises a predetermined number of video frames.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the number of video frames in a time interval segment is determined by the duration of the content item divided by a predetermined number of time interval segments.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual indication is part of a color scheme, and wherein colors at boundaries of consecutive time interval segments are blended together to create a gradual transition between colors at the consecutive time interval segment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the time interval segments comprising a score above a highest score threshold are shown as white on the scrub bar and the time interval segments comprising a score below a lowest score threshold are shown with no color on the scrub bar.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more signals comprise at least one of an editorial weight assigned by a user owning the content time to the time interval segment, a frequency of discussion regarding content of the time interval segment on one or more social networks, indications of votes from users of the content sharing platform for the time interval segment, or a viewing weight based on number of views by users of the content sharing platform of the time interval segment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a user of the content sharing platform that curates the content item determines a number of time interval segments for the content item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining and providing are performed during real-time playback of the content item when the content item is a live event.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processing device communicably coupled to the memory, the processing device to execute instructions to;

divide a duration of a content item of a content sharing platform into time interval segments; and

for each of the time interval segments;

determine a score for the time interval segment in view of one or more signals indicating a popularity of the time interval segment to users viewing the content item on the content sharing platform; and

provide a visual indication of the score for the time interval segment of the content item in a user interface presenting the content item.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the visual indication is provided on a portion of a scrub bar of a media player, the portion corresponding to the time interval segment.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each time interval segment comprises a predetermined number of video frames, and wherein the number of video frames in a time interval segment is determined by the duration of the content item divided by a predetermined number of time interval segments.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the visual indication is part of a color scheme, and wherein colors at boundaries of consecutive time interval segments are blended together to create a gradual transition between colors at the consecutive time interval segment.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the time interval segments comprising a score above a highest score threshold are shown as white on the scrub bar and the time interval segments comprising a score below a lowest score threshold are shown with no color on the scrub bar.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more signals comprise at least one of an editorial weight assigned by a user owning the content time to the time interval segment, a frequency of discussion regarding content of the time interval segment on one or more social networks, indications of votes from users of the content sharing platform for the time interval segment, or a viewing weight based on number of views by users of the content sharing platform of the time interval segment.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed, cause a processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a content item requested by a user of a user device from a content sharing platform; and

presenting the content item in a user interface (UI) on a display device of the user device, the UI comprising a scrub bar displaying different visual indications at different time interval segments of the content item, each of the visual indications correlated to a popularity of the corresponding time interval segment determined based on multiple signals related to the corresponding time interval segment.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein each time interval segment comprises a predetermined number of video frames, and wherein a user of the content sharing platform that curates the content item determines a number of time interval segments for the content item.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the visual indications are part of a color scheme, and wherein colors at boundaries of consecutive time interval segments are blended together to create a gradual transition between colors at the consecutive time interval segment.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the time interval segments comprising a score above a highest score threshold are shown as white on the scrub bar and the time interval segments comprising a score below a lowest score threshold are shown with no color on the scrub bar.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more signals comprise at least one of an editorial weight assigned by a user owning the content time to the time interval segment, a frequency of discussion regarding content of the time interval segment on one or more social networks, indications of votes from users of the content sharing platform for the time interval segment, or a viewing weight based on number of views by users of the content sharing platform of the time interval segment.